In theory, a comedy about a high-priced call girl would pair perfectly with
Weeds, about a suburban mom drug dealer. Showtime even has the perfectly clever and provocative tagline: “It's a business doing pleasure with you.” Unfortunately,
Secret Diary of a Call Girl, premiering tonight at 10:30pm, comes up short for one simple reason: it's not a comedy.
There's a slightly humorous moment or two in the first episode, but the same can be said for any episode of
Lost featuring a Hurley scene.
Secret Diary of a Call Girl is interesting as a docu-drama, taking us inside a formerly unknown career, but HBO already gave us
Cathouse and
A.C. Hookers.
The series is a British import based on a blog by a call girl named Belle du Jour (I suspect that's not her real name). Played by
Doctor Who's
Billie Piper, by day she is Hannah, a normal, fun-loving London lass, but by night, she's Belle, servicing her rich clientele's every fantasy. In the wake of Eliot Spitzer, call girls were all the rage, and Showtime probably would have been smart to move up the premiere date to ride that wave of intrigue.
Belle's list of rules for herself and her clients is interesting, and the fact that it's based on a real call girl's experiences means there's probably quite a bit of realism. But for a show alleging to be a half-hour comedy series, I'm not looking for a procedural documentary. Perhaps some viewers might find some perverse laughter in a client with an odd fetish, but the joke eludes me.
In that sense,
Secret Diary of a Call Girl reminds me of another Showtime “comedy,”
Californication. Though that show has received quite a bit of critical fanfare (and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Comedy Series), I don't get the comedy. The emotional turmoil and strife of a self-destructive writer is interesting, but I found myself enjoying the show most when it decided to be a straight drama.
I could just be getting hung up on naming conventions. In today's TV world, dramedies are the norm and traditional sitcoms are a dying breed. Maybe, as
Family Guy once observed about the brilliant
Sports Night, this comedy is too good to be funny. I still have my doubts about whether
Secret Diary of a Call Girl is good, but I'm certain it's not funny.
How do you like your prostitutes?
-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of Showtime)
